This invention relates to a structure for fluid heat exchangers, and particularly air heat exchangers.
It is often desirable in fluid heat exchanger design to provide turbulence within both the cooling fluid and the fluid to be cooled to break up streamline flow and thereby increase convection heat transfer within both fluids.
It is known to provide vanes or fins in the path of streamline flow of fluids through a fluid heat exchanger to deflect the streamline fluid flow, inducing turbulence and therefore convection heat exchange.
It is thus an object of this invention to provide a simplified structure for insuring turbulent flow of fluids in a heat exchanger. Other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as this specification progresses.
In accordance with the present invention, a fluid heat exchanger comprises interior and exterior ducts and means communicating with each of the ducts for passage of fluids therethrough. The interior duct comprises a lower wall, an upper wall and, two opposed sidewalls extending generally perpendicularly therebetween, and a partition having exposed corrugated surfaces centrally disposed between, and extending generally parallel to, the sidewalls. The corrugations of the exposed surfaces extend generally transversely of the interior duct. The exterior duct has a lower wall, an upper wall and two opposed sidewalls extending generally perpendicularly therebetween. The sidewalls of the exterior duct are generally parallel to the sidewalls of the interior duct. The sidewalls of the exterior duct have corrugated inwardly facing surfaces. The corrugations of the sidewalls extend generally transversely of the ducts. The sidewalls of the interior duct have a plurality of vanes projecting generally perpendicularly thereof into the spaces between the interior duct sidewalls and the partition and into the spaces between the interior duct sidewalls and the exterior duct sidewalls.
As used throughout this specification and claims such words as lower wall, upper wall, floor, ceiling, sidewalls and the like are to be construed not as absolutes but merely as convenient references to the positions of the parts of the heat exchanger relative to one another, regardless of the position of the heat exchanger as a whole when in use.